Religion

P.T. Barnum famously said, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” What he meant by that was that it doesn’t matter as much what people are saying about you as long as they’re talking about you. The worst feeling is not when someone speaks...

I believe in you. You picked out a great outfit this morning. You have what it takes to accomplish the tasks in front of you. You are going to make someone smile today. Did any of that lift you up? Make you smile? There’s no...

“Follow your dream—you can do it!” That is the encouragement often offered to children, to youth and to adults in our lives. It is an encouragement to be bold, to pursue their dreams and to persist through difficulties. But what is that dream? What is...

At the time of writing, we are just days away from another presidential election here in the U.S.  Depending on your viewpoint, you may be excited, disappointed or frustrated at the results of the election.  Yet no matter who has won, the response of Christians...

What if churches around the Bay Area decided to work together across denominational lines to help people explore some of the big questions of faith and life? Thankfully, it is no longer a “what if,” but a reality.  Currently, more than 150 churches around the...

On the 24th of July, my family and others celebrated the 175th anniversary of “Pioneer Day,” the day that pioneers seeking religious freedom arrived in Salt Lake City after walking across the Plains from Illinois.  My great-great-grandfather, Samuel Openshaw, came from England in 1856 at...

All of South County is invited to the annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, held Nov. 20 at Congregation Emeth, 17835 Monterey Street, Morgan Hill, beginning at 3pm. Clergy and lay leaders in the interfaith community who live in both Morgan Hill and Gilroy will participate....

Doubting God? That question carries far more weight than the advertising slogans we’ve heard over the years—“Got Milk?,” “Where’s the Beef?,” or “Wanna Get Away?” For people of faith, it can spark deep concern, even panic.  But the truth is, doubt is something all of...

With Christmas decorations sometimes going up before Thanksgiving, and even Halloween, it may seem unnecessary to prolong Christmas. However, Catholics and many other Christian traditions can extend Christmas into the second week of January.   We do so because the overwhelming and joyful reality of the...

I like etymologies, the origin of words. I like to play with words, especially in different languages. I think we often use words without really thinking about what they really mean and what they imply. “Thanks” is one of those words.  In English, the word...